World’s Most Famous Liner Makes Final Visit to NZ

The world’s most famous ocean liner, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2, will make her last ever visit to New Zealand on Thursday (February 21) when she calls at Auckland as part of her final world voyage.

The legendary QE2 will berth at Princes Wharf around 8am and depart at 10pm, bound for Sydney.

Her history-making final visit comes 30 years after her inaugural call to Auckland on February 14, 1978, and will be her 22nd call to the city since her launch in 1967.

The arrival falls midway through the liner’s 103-night voyage - South America, Pacific and Orient odyssey.

From Auckland, QE2 will sail to Sydney, arriving on Sunday February 24 for a history-making Royal Rendezvous in Sydney Harbour with her younger sister, the new Queen Victoria, which visited Auckland last Friday.

Since her launch 41 years ago, QE2 has pampered 2.5 million guests and hundreds of famous faces. Celebrities who have travelled on this celebrated liner include Nelson Mandela, Bob Hawke, George W. Bush, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, George Harrison, Buzz Aldrin, and of course, Queen Elizabeth II.

In her history, QE2 has sailed 5.6 million nautical miles – more than any ship in history. This is equivalent to circumnavigating the earth more than 258 times.

The 70,327-tonne liner is still the fastest ocean liner in the world, capable of a top speed of 32.5 knots or 60km/h and can also sail backwards faster than most ships sail forward (19 knots or 35km/h).

Celebrated for her gracious features and attentive white-gloved service, QE2 carries up to 1778 guests and 1016 crew and boasts seven restaurants, an indoor and outdoor pool, the world’s only seagoing synagogue and a Harrods boutique.

QE2 will leave the Cunard fleet in November this year to become a first-class tourist attraction in Dubai.

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